Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made a difference in the world has had doubters and critics. As natural as haters might be, in the age of social media it’s become harder and hard to ignore them – and so we asked some brilliant creatives and entrepreneurs to tell us how they deal with haters.
Fabiana Sandoval
Being an older woman pursuing her dreams comes with much negativity. I’m often told that instead of pursuing my interests I should think about retirement. Having worked as an elementary school teacher for over forty years, I have taken pride in educating new generations. Seeing my students grow up and pursue their dreams and aspirations fills me with great joy.
It wasn’t until recently that I started dedicating more time to publishing fiction books and poetry. I have been very fortunate to have come across many people who have been supportive of my work, nonetheless I have faced many challenges in the process. Despite people’s opinion of my age, I strive to maintain a positive attitude and focus on what’s really important: fulfill my professional dreams and aspirations of becoming a well-known author. I strongly believe that there are no timelines for pursuing our goals. As long as I remain inspired and have a desire, I will keep looking for opportunities to share my writing. Read more>>
Eva Farina
I think this question is so important and I think it’s even more important to revisit it often– to remind and fortify yourself. Persisting despite what people say about you is such a difficult thing to do, when everyone around you can have something negative to say. I’ve found that it seems to stem from a lack of confidence and self worth within themselves and I think it’s important to remind yourself of your own self worth. The way I try to manage it is to remember that I’m doing it for me, not for them. I’m intensely passionate about my business and at the end of the day, I have myself to sit with. When I’m reflecting on what I accomplished, it comes down to if I’ve satisfied myself. I think it’s near impossible to keep the opinions of others out of your mind, but as long as I’m happy with me, then that’s what I try to keep at the forefront of my mind. I think one of the ways to happiness is internal validation and that keeps the haters at bay. Read more>>
Kyle Robateau
The beginning of my college career was rather rough, as classes at my school were filling up and I had trouble finding my place amongst my peers. At the time I was fully invested in my own original comic series, something I had been working on relentlessly since I was 17. I remember having other peers telling me that I was too young to start a series like that, or that I was in over my head. A lot of the “advice” I was getting essentially told me to just sit down and wait until I graduated. This mindset made me incredibly unhappy, I was itching to get to work and create things and it felt like everyone was telling me it was a bad idea to do so. I even became scared to draw anything for a while because I felt so silly for thinking that I could ever do something like create a comic series and be good enough for my work to be seen by others. Read more>>
Grxdience
Persisting on social media despite receiving hate can be tough, but it often comes down to focusing on the bigger picture. I remind myself of why I started posting in the first place which was to express myself and have fun. I try not to take the negativity personally, recognizing that it’s more about the person who’s hating than about me. I also try to focus on the positive interactions, no matter how small, and block out the noise. Setting boundaries is also very important. There have been times when the hate has gotten to me, like when commenters attack my wife because I can see how it hurts her. Ultimately though, staying true to my values and goals helps me to continue pursuing this path in life. Read more>>
